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Circumcision: The great debate

There's an old saying about never discussing sex, politics or religion - circumcision could be added to that, considering the polarised views this topic incites.

Today in Australia, between 10-15% of newborn boys are circumcised each year for predominantly religious, cultural or personal reasons (such as appearance and tradition). Thirty years ago about 90% of all baby boys had the snip shortly after birth.

The dramatic decline was led by the medical profession - but now a few doctors are, loudly, changing their minds and campaigning for wider circumcision for public health reasons, including the spread of some sexually transmitted diseases.

What is circumcision?

Circumcision is the removal of a fold of skin (the “foreskin” or “prepuce”) that covers the head (glans) of the un-erect penis. The operation takes about 10 minutes and is performed under local or general anaesthesia.

What to do if you're a parent-to-be?

It can be hard to cut through the emotion and find out the medical facts about this procedure so you can make an educated decision on what path to take.

There are many websites supporting and opposing this procedure, each countering the other's arguments. But it's important to remember that while circumcision continues to be the world's most common surgical procedure, in most cases it is undertaken for reasons that are not medical.

In Australia, many doctors and hospitals recommend that if parents want to have their son circumcised that they wait until he is between six and 12 months old because the operation and anaesthetic are safer then. Others suggest that maybe it's a decision that males should be able to make themselves.

So here are a few collected facts, data, research findings and medical statements - in no designated order - about circumcision. But even this information may be biased. It's a minefield.

Circumcision: the pros

Circumcision lowers transmission of “wart virus”

According to a couple of studies, uncircumcised men may be more likely to transmit human papilloma virus (HPV), which worldwide is the cause of 99% of cervical cancers in women.

Reduce the risk of urinary tract infections

Some studies suggest that uncircumcised boys are 10 times more likely to suffer from a urinary tract infection.

A circumcised penis is cleaner and more hygienic

With normal personal hygiene, the circumcised penis is no cleaner than the uncircumcised penis.

Circumcision: the cons

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians says it's unnecessary

The RACP, which represents 9000 Australian and New Zealand physicians and paediatricians, came out with a statement on circumcision last year, which said: “After extensive review of the literature, the RACP does not recommend that routine circumcision in infancy be performed, but accepts that parents should be able to make this decision with their doctors.”

To précis their statement, they looked at the new information and listened to the renewed debate, and decided it did not warrant the recommendation of “universal circumcision&ldquo for newborn and infant males in an Australian and New Zealand context.

Circumcision health benefits virtually nil, study finds

There is little evidence that the world's most common surgical procedure, circumcision, can prevent sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections and penile cancer, a study has found. Undertaken in Australia, a systematic review - that is a compilation and analysis of previously published research - looked only at the claim that circumcised males had fewer health problems. It did concede circumcision can aid in the reduction in the transmission of HIV-AIDS in adult males in sub-Saharan Africa, though it is unlikely that benefit carries over to other parts of the world where rates of HIV-AIDS are much lower.

Surgical risks

As with any surgical procedure, there are risks. Circumcision has a complication rate of one to five percent that includes local infection, bleeding and damage to the penis. Serious complications such as bleeding and septicaemia may very rarely even result in death.